Stereotypes In Moonlight And Freedom Writers

Black cinema over the past years has been undermined and limited to certain expectations. In most films directors fail to produce realistic scenarios that the audience can relate to. Hollywood directors, instead of capturing the true essence of what it is to be Black, demonstrate what they believe the audience will be most interested in. They favor entertainment and amusement resulting in degrading stereotypes that promote racism and homophobic attitudes. Independent Black films seem to be more capable of depicting a more accurate and honest portrayal of the Black experience. Films made from the perspective of African Americans also has a significant influence on how the film is made and its various features. An example of a Black independent film is Moonlight.
The filmmaker offers a new and realistic insight on the Black community, with an emphasis on the queer community. In contrast, the film Freedom Writers also attempts to show the struggles of growing up in a community where there is violence and in which the director does include stereotypical views of Black men and women. These two films focus on the coming of age, but approach this topic differently. Unlike Freedom Writers, a Black filmmaker created Moonlight who showed the world a different perspective on the life of a gay Black boy that is usually not intended by other Hollywood filmmakers. One film depicts the hardships through the eyes of a Black filmmaker and another through the eyes of white filmmaker. Moonlight and Freedom Writers bring about issues of identity, sexuality, family, and masculinity, while also taking different approaches to these issues possibly due to the filmmakers’ experience with the actual Black